The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has pledged a non-refundable aid package for Ho Chi Minh City to implement a study on railway signalling and centralised control system.

The commitment was made during a signing ceremony on September 18 between representatives of the US’s agency and the city’s Management Board of Urban Railway.

The project worth 1.55 million USD includes funds of 1.458 million USD provided by the USTD, with the rest allocated from the municipal budget.

Improvements will be made to management, the operational efficiency of the urban railway system will be increased, and the rail network will be connected to other forms of public transport, Head of the Board Bui Xuan Cuong said.

Supporting public transport is the project’s main objective, Director of USTDA Leocadia Zak said.

The US agency highly valued the city’s projects to develop its transport infrastructure, and hoped the two sides would expand cooperation in the future to benefit HCM City’s residents, she said.

Ho Chi Minh City’s urban railway system includes eight metro lines and three underground lines, with a total length of 229 km.

The US-funded project will be carried out from September 2014 to May 2015.-VNA